'never again during the remainder of his journey to San Francisco would he equal or surpass this day's eighty-eight-mile effort. furthermore, never again on the trip would he encounter roads as fine as those he met in the Cornhusker state. riding through Wyoming and every state or territory thereafter, Nellis would long for the "excellent paths" of Nebraska.' - An American Cycling Odyssey, 1887

Thursday, December 10, 2009

it was about - 4

in these extreme temps people look at a person on a bike in disbelief. earlier tonight during my late night lunch break i rode over to d'leons for a few burritos. while in line at the drive thru these two african dudes in a minivan behind me asked more than once if i needed a ride. the same thing happened last night too only it was a vietnamese guy. another minivan and another driver shocked to see someone on a bike. it's nice to know people will offer you a ride though, if i had had a flat or something i definitely would have taken them up on it. in these condtions i would have to agree that it is almost too effing cold to be out on a bike, but if you dress properly it's really not that bad for short distances. though i must say it can be very dangerous in the first day or two after a heavy snow if you're not careful and don't have the right equipment. until the snow plows can get out everywhere it's way safer to drive, take the bus, or even walk if it's not too far. fortunately i can ride because my commute is pretty short and i also live right on a bus route so they plow it right away. i can also avoid heavy traffic because at the late or early morning hours of my commutes there are hardly any cars out so i pretty much have the streets to myself. i can take my time and pick the best line through the dicey sections without getting in the way of cars. along with very bright front and rear lights, good snow tires are an absolute must. i just ordered some nokian studded tires for my 29er but they haven't arrived yet so i've been using the BUSS instead. it's been my snow bike for the past several seasons. with innova studded tires and snow chains mounted, it does just fine in packed snow or ice with no slipping or sliding. i can't go very fast with the chains but they dig into the ice and snow real good. i'm running a 34x18t gear. it's adequately low, but a 19t or 20t freewheel in back probably would be more ideal.